After Duterte’s poll lead, Palace urges electorate to assess hopefuls

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Malacanang on Thursday asked the electorate to assess the track record and platforms being offered by the presidential contenders in the 2016 elections following the release of a Pulse Asia survey with results revealing that Metro Manila residents favor Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as the successor of President Benigno Aquino III.

READ: Poe camp calls poll topped by Duterte ‘inconclusive’

In a statement, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that opinion polls serve to “heighten people’s interest in the electoral process.”

“We encourage our people to broaden their participation by learning more about the platforms of candidates and assessing their records in public service,” Coloma said.

The Pulse Asia poll results revealed that one in three voters in Metro Manila, or an estimated 34 percent, said that they would vote for Duterte if elections were to be held this month.

READ: Duterte leads in Metro poll

Classes A, B and E gave the highest scores to Duterte compared to other presidential candidates, namely, Senator Grace Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay, former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The poll was privately commissioned and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. RAM